Fast start the key for the Sharks on Friday
After their pre-season
friendly loss to the Bulls two weeks ago, the Cell C Sharks players and
management know that they will need to start better than they did at Loftus
when they face the Lions at Jonsson Kings Park in their opening Super Rugby
Unlocked match on Friday night.
Their clash with the Bulls gave coach Sean Everitt and his staff the opportunity to try some different combinations and see the depth of the squad before their first competitive clash on Friday.
James Venter was a stand-out for the Sharks during this year’s Super Rugby campaign and might have felt aggrieved with his game-time during this past weekend’s Green versus Gold match. This Friday gives him the opportunity to prove again that he is one of the top loose forwards in South Africa.
Venter is eager to get back on the pitch in a competitive atmosphere with his Sharks teammates on Friday.
“The Bulls match was a warm-up game so we just took that in our stride and used it as preparation for the Lions this week,” Venter said.
“We did learn a lot from that Bulls game and we are going to bounce back. The guys have trained hard and the camp is great, the vibe is great and we are really excited to get into Super Rugby Unlocked.”
The Sharks were slow out of the blocks in their clash with the Bulls two weeks ago and Venter believes that the team learnt some important lessons from that game.
“If you start slowly and go behind it can be very difficult to catch up so I
think accuracy in execution leads to intensity and we thrive on that intensity.
“As the game went on the better we got and the more comfortable guys felt, so it’s just about starting off well,” Venter added.
Having been a former Lions player Venter knows how the Lions like to play and understands the risks that come with the type of rugby that they like to play, especially given the unpredictability of Durban weather at this time of the year.
“They love playing a running style of rugby, quite expansive. Sometimes though when you come down to Durban with the weather conditions and if the ball doesn’t bounce your way and the Lions can’t play their fast game it becomes difficult.
“The Sharks dominate the set piece and all-round defence and we pride ourselves on our physicality, so if we can do what we do well and stick to our processes they will find it tough down in Durban.”
The Sharks will announce their squad for their opening match of Super Rugby
Unlocked on Thursday.
In some news reported by IOL, Southern Kings winger Yaw Penxe and loose forward Thembelani Bholi have joined the Sharks set-up for the upcoming competition on short-term loan deals.